How’s China’s “Space Rabbit”Doing on the Moon?中國的“太空兔”在月球上過得怎么樣？

The year of 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit， which reminds us of the “rabbit” on the moon， Chinas Yutu-2 lunar rover.

The Yutu-2 is named after the pet rabbit of the Chinese moon goddess Change. On January 3， 2019， the rover was brought to the far side of the moon by Chinas Change-4 lunar probe. It was the first-ever soft landing on the previously uncharted area of the lunar surface.

Its been four years since the historic landing. Hows the “space rabbit” doing on the moon？

The Change-4 lunar probe consists of a lander and the Yutu-2 rover. Before its launch， a relay satellite was sent into space in May 2018 to facilitate earth-moon communication.

The landing area of the probe is the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.

The Yutu-2 rover can climb 20-degree slopes and surmount obstacles up to 200 millimeters high. Its designated service life was said to be only three months， but it has now worked for a record four years on the moon.

2023年是兔年，這讓我們想起了月球上的“兔子”——中國的“玉兔二號”月球車。

“玉兔二號”是以中國神話中的月中女神嫦娥的寵物兔子命名的。2019年1月3日，中國“嫦娥四號”月球探測器將月球車帶到了月球背面。這是月球車首次在月球表面未知區(qū)域軟著陸。

距離歷史性的著陸已經(jīng)過去四年?！疤胀谩痹谠虑蛏线^得怎么樣？

“嫦娥四號”月球探測器由著陸器和“玉兔二號”月球車組成。在發(fā)射之前，2018年5月，一顆中繼衛(wèi)星被送入太空，以促進(jìn)地月通信。

探測器的著陸區(qū)域是月球背面南極-艾托肯盆地的馮·卡門撞擊坑。

“玉兔二號”月球車可以爬上20度的斜坡，越過高達(dá)200毫米的障礙。雖然設(shè)計(jì)壽命只有三個月，但它已經(jīng)在月球上工作了創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的四年。

So far， the rover has collected valuable data on solar wind and cloddy soil research， gel-like rocks， and fresh small craters inside the Von Karman Crater. The data and images sent back by the Yutu-2 have enhanced geological knowledge of the landing site， deepening understanding of the formation and evolution of the moon.

Here is a fun tidbit. Of the many pictures of the lunar landscape taken by the Yutu-2， one mysterious square object caused great debate among people on Earth over what it was. When the rover finally approached the object， it turned out to be a rabbit-shaped rock. What an interesting coincidence！

The Yutu-2 has traveled more than 1，400 meters on the far side of the moon so far. It will continue its journey and unveil more mysteries of the moon.

著陸至今，“玉兔二號”已經(jīng)收集了關(guān)于太陽風(fēng)和土壤研究、凝膠狀巖石以及馮·卡門撞擊坑內(nèi)新形成的小撞擊坑的寶貴數(shù)據(jù)。“玉兔二號”傳回的數(shù)據(jù)和圖像幫助人類增加了對著陸點(diǎn)的地質(zhì)認(rèn)識，加深了對月球形成和演化的了解。

和大家分享一則趣聞。在“玉兔二號”拍攝的許多月球地貌照片中，一個神秘的方形物體引起了關(guān)注，大家都在討論它究竟是什么。當(dāng)“玉兔二號”最終靠近該物體時，大家發(fā)現(xiàn)原來是一塊兔子形狀的巖石。真是個有趣的巧合！

到目前為止，“玉兔二號”已經(jīng)在月球背面行駛了1400多米。它將繼續(xù)它的旅程，揭開更多月球的奧秘。

Word Bank

probe /pr??b/ n. 航天探測器

enhance /?n'hɑ?ns/ v. 提高；增加

Large paintings can enhance the feeling of space in small rooms.

unveil /'?n've?l/ v. 揭示；揭去面紗